Refrigerating apparatus



April 23, 1929. F, W, ANDREWS 1,710,009 I REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed April 28, 1927 5 sheets-sheet 1 HUHUH @xx wx@ fad/M d Maman 3mm@ April 23, 1929. F. w. ANDREWS v 1,710,009

v REFRIGERATING APPARIyTUS y Filed April 28,' 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 al gwvenl'o'n Eltmmga'. V

April 23, 1929. F w, ANDREWS 1,710,009

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed April 28, 1927 s Smau-sheet 5 JM mak gwuento @MWVM m flttoz mvg Patented Apr. 23, 1929.

` UNITED STATES 1,110,009? 41 .1.TENT orifice.

\ i 4 FRANK W. ANDREWS, F DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

FRIGIDAIRE CORPORATION, A

CORPORATION OF DELAWARE. l

y REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

Application mea April 2s,

This invention'relates to refrigerating apparatus, particularly to the construction and arrangement of cooling lunits in refrigerating cabinetsof the household type.

One of its objects is to provide an 1mproved cabinet which will electively cool c1-rculating air to conserve food and at the same time rapidly freeze ice.

Another object is to increase the per1od '10 during which the cabinet may be operated without defrosting. l

Another object is to construct the ice-making compartments so that air can freely cir-v Iculate around. them; Still another obect is to minimize the likelihood of freezing t e icemaking receptacles to the ice-making cornpartments.

Further objects and advantages of thepresent invention will be apparent from the following description, .reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of embodiment of the present in'- vention is clearlyv shown.

In the drawings: V Fig. l1 is a front elevation of a cabinet constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section of the cooling compartment of a cabinet, the cooling unittherein being shown in section on lthe line 302 -2ofFig.3;

Fig. 3 is aside elevation partly in section'of a cooling unitiremoved from the cabinet; Fig. 4-is` a rear elevation of the cooling unit;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal section of a portion of the coollng unit taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; f n

Fig. 6 is a vertical section thru a portion of thecooling unit-on the line6--6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a portion of an enlarged vertical section thru an ice-making receptacle taken on the line 7--7 of Fig. 1"; and- Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the a paratus removed from the evaporator.

Re' erring to Figs. 1 and 2, 10is a refrigerating cabinetwhichmay bev of conventional structure having a a cooling compartment 11,

a storage compartment 12,"doors 14, and ai machine Acompartnfllent 15...l1`he coolin and storage y compartments may be nlconveniently provided by dividing the interior of the cabir'net by an L-shaped partitionl having openings 17 and 18 for the circulation of air. cooling unit generally denoted 2Q is placed `chine compartment 15.

1 927. Serial N0. 187,349.

within the'cooling compartment, supported 55 by straps'21 from the top wall of the cabinet and cools the airl within the cooling comv partment setting up circulation thru the openl ings 17 and 18 in the well'known manner. A

baliie 22 is placed abovethe opening 18 to 60 prevent moisture dripping into the storage compartment. p Inaccordancev with my iinvntionI may i construct the cooling unit as follows. A hori- :f'lontal header 23 is provided with a number of 65 tus (for example, that shown in the patent to Robert G. Osborn No. 1,556,708, October 13, 1925) 'which may be disposed within the ma- 80 'As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the conduits24 are placed closer to the central vertical plane of the header than the conduits 25 and as shqvvnjn Fig.' 5, the conduits 24 and 25 alter- 85 natealong'the' length of the header. The

conduits may be formedin any suitable man'- ner but their production and assembly are con- Siderably facilitated'if each conduit l24 is con"- -nected to a companion conduit 25 by-a .hori- 90 zontal portion 30. An easily formed -loop of pipe connected at bothends to the header,-

lthusprovides one conduit 24 vand one con- The. conduits 24 -form a ,Wall permeable 95 to air currents, which defines a freezing space 40 within and surrounded by the space occupied by the conduits 25. Within the freezing space-I place any suitable number of compartments for ice-making receptacles.v 10 As shown in lFig. 8, 'each compartment'is in the form of a rectangular sl Veve v41, prefer'- ,abl made of metal-ot good herma'l .conducv'tiv1ty, such as, copper. One end of the sleeve '.haslanfoutwardly Haring portion or flange 42,:y The'compartments fitl snugly within the freezing space, maintaining ayzthermal con- ,tact with the tubes 24. The compartments 'f i are held in place in the freezing space as follows. (Refer to Figs. 3 to 5).- The desired number of compartments are assembled in spaced relation and secured together by .being soldered to a back plate 43v and a pair of L-shaped braces44`. A leg 45 1s `attached to the lowermost compartment and is adapted to rest on the horizontal portions 30 of the evaporator tubes. The braces 44 have holes to receive bolts 46 which pass thru brackets 47 soldered to some of the tubes 25.

The L-shaped braces 44 are Iclamped against the brackets 47 by the bolts 46, acting thru a front plate 48 (to be describe-d later) which presses a ainst the flanges 42. Gasket 50 and 51, o thermal insulation (such as cork) are placed betweenthe front plate and the flange 43 and bolts 46, respectively. l

The spaces between the compartments permit air to circulate freely over the tubes 24 and 25 and in contact with the compartments. 'The back plate 43 acts as a closure for the end of each compartment, and as a closure for the spaces 55 between the compartments,`thus confining circulating air to such spaces and preventing it yfrom escaping thru or between the ends.- To permit air to circulatethru the compartments, I pro-l vide holes 56 in each side member 57 of the compartments. ment is imperforate and acts as a shield to protect the contents` of the 'compartments from moisture dripping from parts above, during defrosting.

The bottom of each compartment is provided with a number ofI elevations 58 to supg port an ice-making receptacle, and a number of drain openings 59.` Ice-freezing trays or pans 60 are'placed inthe compartments, the elevations 58 holding them above the bottom and permitting the circulation of air beneaththem. The pans are of suchk dimensions that ra considerable space for the circulation of air is rovided between top, bottom, sides and en s of the pans and the corresponding walls of the compartments. See Figs. 2 and 3.

When placing ice pans in freezing compartments, water is likely-to be spilled on thev bottom ofthe compartment, which freezesv the pan to the compartment and 4makes its removal very difficult. My invention avoids this annoyance by supporting the pans on the elevations 58. If water is spilled it will'immediately drain from `the oor of the compartment thruholes 59. Consequently there can be no water to freeze at the points of support of the pan. v Y i The front plate 48 heretofore mentioned has openings registering with the compartments for the passage of ice pans, each opening being surrounded by a iange 61. This plate'` acts as a closure for the spaces 55 between the compartments at 'the front end Just as does the plate 43 at the back end.

In order to close the openings in the front The top of each compart-` plate, each tray carriesa bracket 62 to which is secured a cover plate 63, clamped between a handle 64 and the bracket by a bolt 65. An insulating washer 66 between the plate and bracket prevents transfer of heat from the cover plate to the tray. When the tiay is in position in the compartment, the cover plate closes the opening, and the bracket insures the tray being at a suiiicient distance behind the front platev toprovide an air-circulating space.

The insulating gaskets 50, 51 and 66, mentioned above prevent'frosting of the front plate 48 and cover-'plates 63, and the conse'- quent annoyance of moisture dripping on the handles during cle-frosting of the cooling unit. The front lplate may also be suitably Y shaped as at 70 to act -as a shield to protect the-handles from moisture dripping from theV conduit connections 26 and 29a.V Moisture dripping from these will be prevented from entering the freezing compartments by the flanges 63 and gaskets 48.

As shown in Fig. 2 the cooling L'is placed in the cabinet with the header belowv the level of the openingr 17 and with the con! duits 25 entending in fairly close proximity to the walls of the cabinet and partition 16. n

The conduits 25 are thus entirely exposed to air circulating between the openings 17 and downwardly over the cooling unit and therefore effectively cool this air which in turn cools the storage compartment. Due to the staggered relations of the conduits 24 and 25, shown best in Fig.' 5, and the openings '45 in the sleeve, air cooled by the tubes can circulate freely over and around the ice trays to absorb heat from and freeze the water in the trays.

As shown best in Fig. 1, the front plate 48 occupies substantially the entire len h -and width of the cooling compartment, t us acting as a partition, which cooperates with the L-shaped partition 16 to form the cooling compartment and completely enclosethe cooling unit.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention asherein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Av cooling unit for refrigerating apparatus comprising refrigerant conduit means ldefining. a freezing space, anda compartnient within the s ace having openings to permit'the circulation of air thru the com,- pertinent.

.2. A cooling unit for refrigerating appayratus `comprising refrigerant conduit means deiinin a freezing s ace, and a com artkment within the space aving openings t erein, the conduit means, compartment, and openingsbeing arranged to the cir-A and openings being arrangedtopermit the circulation of air over the conduit means and thru the compartment.

4. A cooling unit for refrigerating apparatus comprising conduit means forming permeable Walls defining a freezing space, and a compartmentlocated in the freezing space, the compartment having openings arranged to permit' the circulation of air thru the Walls and compartment.

5. A cooling compartment for refrigerating apparatus comprising a compartment for an ice-making receptacle, means for cooling the compartment, said compartment having an imperforate top and a perforate bottom, and means for supporting an ice-making receptacle in the compartment above the Y bottom.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 Wherevin is provided means for supporting an ice-4 making receptacle in the compartment above the bottom thereof.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 Wherein are provided means for supporting an iceaking receptacle in the compartment above the bottom thereof and drain opens ings in the bottom of the compartment adjacent the supporting means. "v

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 having means vfor supporting an ice-making'receptacle above the bottom of the compartment, said means being adapted to permit the circulation of air thru the compartment and beneath a receptacle placed on said means.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 having an ice-making rece tacle within the compartment and means or supporting the receptacle above the bottom of the compartment, the receptacles and compartment being of such relative dimensions as to leave spaces for the circulation of air entirely around the receptacle within the compartment.

10. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a cooling compartment and a storage compartment, said'compartm'ents being interconnected to permit the circulation of air between them, a cooling unit placed Within the cooling compartment adapted to ei'ect the lcirculation of air thru the compartments, the cooling unit having a portion exposed 'to the circulating currents to cool the latter and a portion defining a ifreezino' s ace Within said first-mentioned n p portion, and a compartment for an 'ice-mak-V ing receptacle Within the freezing space having openings for the circulation of air thru:

said freezing space and compartment.

In testimony whereof I hereto atiix my sigg nature. i l

` FRANK W. ANDREWS. 

